In 2023, DGI Consult conducted a detailed Human Resource for Health (HRH) situational analysis in 10 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)-supported states to understand the gaps in HRH policy, financing and management and their implications for workforce optimization, and ultimately service delivery. The analysis also identified existing promising HRH-optimizing interventions and made recommended strategies that will reposition the states’ HRH for optimal performance. The BMGF has prioritized Kaduna, Kano, Lagos States and the national level for the implementation of key HRH interventions; hence, an HRH strategy with key interventions to be implemented by the Foundation to optimize health workforce in the three states and at the national level has been developed by DGI Consult.

As part of the evidence-based and co-creation approach to designing the BMGF Nigeria Country Office (NCO) HRH strategy, DGI Consult organized stakeholders’ workshops in Kaduna and Kano States to disseminate the findings of the HRH situation analysis and identify priority HRH interventions that will be supported by the BMGF in the states. The workshops were attended by key stakeholders in the state health sector. These include representatives from the states’ health ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), partners, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Ward Development Committee, health training institutions, regulatory bodies, healthcare providers among others. Stakeholders at the workshop critically examined the HRH recommended interventions articulated by DGI Consult, assessed their alignment with the states HRH priorities and critical factors to consider during implementation.

To corroborate the insights from the workshops, DGI conducted additional key informant interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders at the national level and in the 3 selected states to further understand the priority HRH interventions and how they will contribute to improving workforce performance. The evidence gathered from the stakeholders’ engagements and key informant interviews informed the design of context-appropriate HRH interventions that will be supported by BMGF to improve health workforce performance and ultimately, improve access to quality healthcare services in the states. The interventions were designed across four thematic areas of (a) Promoting optimization-enabling HRH management practices; (b) System design and support; (c) Capacity building; and (d) Accountability. The proposed interventions of the NCO HRH Strategy are products of detailed appraisals of existing HRH gaps, interventions and comparative advantage of the Foundation.